"Wasted Saints" is the second album released by The Waxies. Many bands have used the word “tales” on their titles in the last couple of years : “Tales from the Death Shore”, “Overground Tales”, “Tales from the Wasteland”… As you can see, that word cannot be found on the new Waxies album title. However, that’s exactly what the listener gets: a bunch of tales written by different members of the band.

“Empty Bed” is a kick-ass opening track with a great chorus (“Whiskey won’t fill, won’t fill this empty bed” ). American influences on a song on which vocals are shared by a boy and a girl ; “The Way Back Home” is an excellent Russian/gypsy number with some klezmer influences (the sound of the clarinet); “Another Wasted Saint” is a top-notch song with parts of “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” and “The Kesh”; and, of course, the last number, "Out in the Desert", an amazing Western song of revenge. Just listen to the intro of the song, it has all the elements to catch you: the sound of the Jews harp, a wolf and a train.

Together with these awesome self-penned songs, The Waxies have recorded four covers. I love “Irish Soldier Laddie”, with that tin whistle and mandolin sound à la Skels, together with the fiddle. But their rendition of “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy” is very interesting too. Female vocals and a great tune on which the tin whistle and the fiddle shine.The Waxies’ own universe is really appealing on both fronts, lyrically and musically. Maybe they are not so raucous as The Tossers or The Fisticuffs, but when I listen to their songs I realize that all the songs get the right treatment. The influences and genres are different, but the final result is really tight. Besides, every single instrument (banjo, mandolin, guitar, tin whistle, fiddle, bass and drums) can be heard on the mix and that’s something that I appreciate. It’s a little bit annoying when one reads that there are six, seven or eight musicians playing on a song and one cannot hear all the instruments.

If you like Lexington Field, The Dreadnoughts, Garrahan’s Ghost and Johnny Cash, then you will enjoy The Waxies too.

I have noticed that normally when a reviewer writes about a live album he is not happy with the final result: the listener cannot feel the atmosphere, the sound is artificial, there are too many overdubs … Usually I don’t have that problem. And I guess that those reviewers won’t be disappointed with the 2CD live album by The Stubby Shillelaghs.

Is the sound “raw”? Sure. Can you hear the crowd? Yes, but they are not so annoying as on Great Big Sea “Road Rage” album. Is the chat between songs interesting? Of course, just have a look to the title, “Parental Advisory”.

The four guys from Colorado have recorded one of their Tuesday shows at Patrick's Irish Pub in Greeley. When you put the CDs on your player you can feel that you’re there too. The band is really tight, specially Andy on vocals and Jacie on fiddle. They have taken the spirit of the likes of The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones and The Clancy Brothers and have added a great deal of their own ingredients to the mix. As a result, two well-balanced sets of Irish ballads, Scottish songs, drinking songs, comedy, some bluegrass and modern Celtic classics such as “The Jedi Drinking Song” (Dust Rhinos) or “The Scotman” (Mike Cross).

And that’s what makes this 2 CD set so special, the choice of the songs together with the self-penned material. Eight songs (“Unapolegitically Me”, “Club to the Pub”, “Mountain Rain”, “Corn Shucklin’ Time”, “Far Back When”, “To Those We Loved”, “The Vodka Song” an “Top o’the Morning Wood” ) written mainly by Shaugnessy McDaniel and amazing tune written by Jacquelyne McConnell ("Sgt. McConnell"). Without those numbers, the album would be one more among the only-listened-on.St Patrick’s CDs. Fortunately, this 2 CD set can be enjoyed all along the year. Well-done, Stubbies!

Segulls Are Drunk is a 5 piece band from Reims, France. This demo CD was released in 2011 by Bruno (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Olivier (keyboards, accordion, vocals), Quentin (drums) and Fabien (guitar, vocals) . At the time being SAD have a fifth member, Joaquim, who plays flute and bombarde.

These French musicians have already shared the stage with The Popes, Jamie Clarke’s Perfect and Mirror Field and they say that they love beer, Ireland, Scotland, songs about losers, folk music, bad jokes, whisky, the ships … The five songs on the demo CD can be labeled as folk , but in the American meaning of the word. An influence would be Bob Dylan, but there are also some elements that link the band to Van Morrison or even the Irish band Black Velvet Band from their “When Justice Came” era.

My favourite songs are track no. 2, “Ol’lheary’s Gun” and track no. 3. “Like a Winkle in a Barrel of Whisky” is a catchy song with some Caribbean roots. I love it, it’s the kind of song that you can imagine being performed faster, slower, with more instruments or with less instruments and every version sounds great.

Unfortunately, the demo CD is sold-out, but all the tracks are available on YouTube. Anyway, Seagulls Are Drunk have recently released their debut album. So, if you like folk music based on guitars, keyboards/accordion and harmonica, contact the band and grab a copy.

“Five Rounds” is the first work by the Texan band The Tomfooligans. Alistair (drums), Jude (guitar and lead vocals), Patrick (bass) and Robert (pipes) have recorded 5 tracks following their own Celtic punk blend. Punk and pipes, but not a new Dropkick Murphys wannabe band.

Even if the sound quality could be improved, the lads have followed a very interesting approach. Yes, there are some traditional songs, but they have avoided the standards that every single band has recorded. Neither “Fields of Athenry”, nor “The Irish Rover” can be found on “Five Rounds”. And, when they have played traditional songs, they have really worked on them or have developed a new song based on them. For instance, the second track, “Nancy´s Barnyard” combines two traditional numbers: the pipes part is the tune of “Barnyards of Delgaty” while the lyrics are from “Nancy Whiskey”. The last track also features “Amazing Grace”, but is a new song, a tribute to some American heroes (the firemen).

There are two 100% original numbers on the EP. One of them is the opening track, “McGregor’s Pipes”. Once again The Tomfooligans talk about their heroes, in this case a Scottish immigrant that fought at The Alamo. Apparently John McGregor (pipes) had musical duels with Davy Crockett (fiddle).

The other self-penned song is track no. 3, "Paddy Reb". In fact, it’s my fave, an amazing Celtic punk song, similar to The Tradesmen's stuff.

If The Tomfooligans are faithful to their songwriting and find a good studio and/or producer, their debut album could be a must have.

Hadrian’s Wall borrows from traditional Celtic music, and creatively weaves it through their own unique blend of folk, blues, and pop/rock, to deliver a fresh and diverse palette of sound. Sometimes pensive, more often driving and melodic, the music is always captivating and the band always strong.Since its inception in 1996, the band has been sure to maintain a close connection with their Celtic heritage. “Growing up in Glengarry meant that we heard just as much traditional music as we did modern music”, says singer and guitar player Neil Emberg. “Everyone knew and played a lot of old songs”. In fact, many of these traditional folk songs remain in the live set list, and several incarnations of them have ended up on Hadrian’s Wall recordings.

From their 1996 self-titled debut to their sixth album “A Good Excuse to Wear a Suit”, the band has released a steady stream of CDs, featuring both traditional and original songs. Fiddle, accordion, whistles, and bagpipes can be found throughout, while vocal duties are split between Emberg and drummer/percussionist Richard Irwin. Emberg’s powerful vocal style provides a perfect counterpoint to Irwin’s soulful delivery.

But it’s on stage that the band truly feels at home. By nature, Celtic music attracts those who enjoy sharing good music, good drink, and good friends. This is truly evident when Hadrian’s Wall hits the stage. Inspiring musicianship and energetic sets, combined with the bands easy charm, make for a dynamic and enjoyable show, every time. Over the past few years the band has been honored and graced with invitations to play at many of the continent’s biggest Celtic, Folk, and World Music festivals. “The pleasure of sharing the stage with some of the world’s best musicians and songwriters is all ours!” exclaims drummer/vocalist Richard Irwin.Although this talented group of musicians are certainly seasoned players on this circuit, 2006 will mark a new chapter in their careers. With the release of the new album and a North American tour in it's support, Hadrian's Wall plans to take on dynamic musical ventures that will see them play everything from intimate acoustic concerts right up to large-scale festivals, in front of tens of thousands. Watch for Hadrian's Wall in your area and experience a live performance that has been described as "nothing less than dynamic, energetic, and unforgettable."

Friday, September 14, 2012

Seven Little Sisters have had a pretty quiet summer but we have a busy October & November ahead of us and we have now started to record our new album - 'A Devil on Each Shoulder' - which we will release in mid January.....watch this space!

A note to all of our American brothers and sisters:

We are hoping to be touring America in 2013. We've taken the obvious step of applying to showcase at the SXSW conference in 2013, which if successful, will mean we will be in America next March......I appreciate that every other band on the planet will also be applying and our chances of getting the gig are akin to a snowball in hell, but we have gone for it anyway. If we are not chosen, I have a meeting with an American contact now residing in London in October......we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way!

We do not normally ask anything of our fans, but our chances of building a fan base in another country are limited, so if you could help us spread the word about Seven Little Sisters by telling your friends and family to check us out, we'd really appreciate it.

Also, if anyone has any towns or venues in America that they think we should contact, then just let us know and we'll do our best to get there.

Those of you who follow us closely... yeah, I know it's hard to believe it's true that some of you do - but I am told by the man who counts the website and facebook hits that some of you do... anyway we do have some new news:

1.1 Lizzie has left the band due to unforeseen personal circumstances. We wish her well and we are currently auditioning her replacement. In the meantime, Mark 'madfiddler' Knight has rejoined the fold until we can find a permanent bow merchant. So, if you think you're suited to what we do and can attack those fiddle strings... get in touch.

1.2 Bleeding Hearts are soon to start working with a nice couple of chaps called Paul and Marcus at CN Management - who will be 'managing' us. Yes, that is most definitely hard to believe because if you ask my boss at work he thinks I am the hardest person he has ever had to manage. So, we prefer to call it a mutually beneficial partnership. Anyway, their management company will, from now on, be responsible for the business end of what we do; so we can concentrate on making the music and getting pissed. We are really excited about this development!!!! Yarp!

1.3 As part of our 're-branding' exercise we are henceforth to be considered 'Anthemic Folk'. It's the same as punk-folk-rock but easier to sell I am told (-:

2. FOLK N GLORY

Folk 'n' Glory is 11 tracks long. Having been done 1,2,3,4, stylee all together in a room through hot valves straight to our budget pc - and it's got a lo-fi charm all of its own. We went for that 60s/70s vibe with band in a room having fun feel and we thinks that's exactly what we've got. Folk 'n' Glory has quite a retro feel to the music and artwork, which we think you'll be pleased with, we are. Deffo folkier than Politics and on a par with fiddle-punkin' 'Propaganda' for that soundscape to the revolution Foxie is planning every day. Yay, that's getting closer too by the way...

It's received rave reviews in Rock n Reel and Froots as well as a multitude of other mags and online sources... we hear that one mag didn't like it much so we were gonna' send them a horses head through the post but it didn't fit into the jiffy bag so I didn't bother.

4. WE IS ON I-TUNES ETC ETC.

Yeah, you know we are, go check it out or do it the old fashioned way and visit our 'DOSHSWAP' page or come to a Bleedin' gig.

5. FORUM.

Contact 'keeping it nice since 1972 Ewan Porter hyphen Stevens' if you wanna tell him a story... we wish he would tell us one 'cus that blog of his is a bit out of date (like I can talk with my lax attitude towards this website).

6. FINALLY.

CN Management will be working on 2013 gigs that will be posted up as soon as stuff starts getting confirmed, so until then, we hope to see some of you, all of you, new friends, old friends, lost friends at a gig soon, when they eventually happen, so don't be strangers!

Following the release of their sophomore album "Death & Taxes" on September 18, Halifax-based rockers The Stanfields will head out on a Canadian tour in October/ November, sponsored by Exclaim! Magazine. Already well-known in the Maritimes, the band will bring their dynamic live show to fans across the rest of the country as they support their newest release. The nearly two-month run kicks off October 10 in Ottawa and will see The Stanfields travel as far west as Victoria before returning home to the east coast in mid-November. The band has also just confirmed a special CD release show on September 18 in Halifax at the Seahorse Tavern.

Formed in 2008 and hailing from the gritty post-industrial towns of Nova Scotia, Canada, The Stanfields play every show like it's their collective last night on earth. Their kitchen party harmonies, thunderous rhythm section, high-octane stage show and genuine chemistry have won over audiences from coast to coast.

The band's groundbreaking live performances have earned them much-lauded opportunities to shine on stages at the Vancouver Olympics, Nova Scotia Music Awards, NXNE, CMW, SXSW, Junofest, and the 2011 Canada Games Opening Ceremonies. They have also shared the stage with Flogging Molly, The Arkells, Big Sugar, The Trews and Matt Mays, among other high profile acts.

Co-produced by the band and Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica), "Death & Taxes" is a collection of ten highly-charged tracks that are anthemic in scope and resplendent with The Stanfields' trademarks: a folk and punk-tinged blue collar rock 'n' roll sound, driving guitar riffs and vocalist/guitarist Jon Landry's gritty, Tom Waits-esque growl. Thematically, the album diverges from traditional Canadian East Coast fare to explore the darker, unspoken side of Maritime living and themes of poverty, war, despair, greed, and capitalism.

The Stanfields have launched a pre-order campaign allowing fans to purchase tickets to the Halifax CD release show along with a copy of the album, available at their newly revamped website www.thestanfields.ca.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

We ended the summer with a debut performance at Small's in Hamtramck, MI as part of a three band lineup featuring Coven 13 and Streetwalking Cheetahs. The show garnered us a full page feature in the Detroit Metro Times' City Slang column. Once again, a special thank you to Brett Callwood for the great exposure!

We also made our debut appearance at Lynch's Irish Tavern in Port Huron over Labor Day weekend, and will be appearing again the second weekend in November. We were thrilled to bring our music to the Port Huron area for the first time, and hope to do so many times in the future.

We're also pleased to announce that we will be one of the opening bands for Korpiklaani's Detroit show during their North American Tour on Tuesday, September 18th at Harpos Concert Theatre in Detroit. To purchase tickets online, click here. We hope to see you there!

Bill Grogan's Goat has had a fantastic year so far, and 2012 isn't over yet! A few groups in particular have made this possible for us:

A very special thank you to all of the print and online publications that have featured reviews of our latest album, Second Wind, this year, and also to the numerous online podcasts that are currently featuring our tunes.

We also woud be remiss in not thanking the local Detroit area vendors who stock our music for sale on their shelves, among them The Twisted Shamrock in Ferndale, MI, Colleen's Gaelic Gifts in Livonia, MI and O'Connor's Irish Gifts out of Newport, MI. Thank you, as always, for your support of local artists and music.

Remember, you can follow Bill Grogan's Goat on Facebook or Twitter, and listen to our music on Pandora, iTunes, Last FM and iHeartRadio. Videos of some of our performances can also be found on YouTube.

For all of the lastest news, information and show dates, be sure to check our web site regularly at www.billgrogansgoat.com While you're there, please check out our Goat Gear store to purchase new t-shirts and golf towels as well as our music, which is availabe for shipment or mp3 download. To visit our store directly, click here.

For the rest of September and October, the best way to get your hands on our new CD is to come out and see us !! We've got quite a few events listed below in the NY/NJ area so there's plenty of opportunities.

Thanks to all those who came out to see us at The Blackthorne, The Hoooley on the Hudson, Connolly's and the Ship Bottom Irish Fest !! It's been a busy month !

We're looking forward to getting back out on the road at the end of the month for the last festival of our season in Cornwall, followed by a show in Port Talbot and then we'll be on the road for six acoustic shows at theatres and cathedrals around the country with support from Moulettes. Tickets have nearly sold out for Exeter and are selling fast for the other dates so please don't leave it too long if you want to get tickets.

We're going to be touring all over Europe throughout the whole of October stopping in France, Holland, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Czech Republic! We'll be playing tracks from the new album alongside live favourites on all the dates. Hope to see you somewhere along the way...

Auld Corn Brigade’s debut album reached no. 22 on the best of 2010 list that was voted by the followers of this site. If The Porters’ debut album was focused on covers of drinking songs and Irish standards, Auld Corn Brigade “A Fighter’s Lullabies” was based on covers of Irish rebel songs (mainly Wolfe Tones songs).

Two years later the German lads have released a 4 track 10” vinyl. And there is a big news: the band has recorded their first self-penned songs. Vocalist and guitarist Nico has written a couple of songs . The first one, “Our Flag” opens the record and is an awesome song which merges influences from bands like Dropkick Murphys and The Porters. The two vocalists , Nico and Nicole, sing on this great song about workers’ pride and solidarity.

The second original number is the song that closes the record, “A Mother’s Heart”, a slow number about wars and how stupid they are. Nicole sings on this track and the structure of the song is perfect: acoustic guitar at the beginning, Nicole starts to sing, then the fiddle joins, the next one to join is the tin whistle and finally the drums and the electric instruments are added.

Regarding the two covers (Christy Moore and Wolfe Tones) my fave is "Helicopter Song". Auld Corn Brigade have previously covered other Wolfe Tones hits ("The Broad Black Brimmer", "Boys of the Old Brigade", "Rifles of the IRA"…) but I feel that "Helicopter Song" is their best Wolfe Tones cover. After listening to this track I wish that their could cover “Rock on Rockall” soon.

How long do we need to wait till their second album featuring a majority of original songs is released? Come on, buy this 10” and then they will be able to issue their second album as soon as possible.

The Ukranian band ShamRocks established in June 2009 in Kiev. The guys wanted to play Irish folk music, but not in a traditional way. ShamRocks are influenced by the likes of Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly or The Real McKenzies and their arrangements often turn to funk, rock 'n' roll, and even classic heavy metal.

Their first gig took place on 10 October 2009 at the Irish Bastard Festival in Kiev.

ShamRocks' music is fervent Irish stout rock from Kiev, which pumps the crowd at both big rock festivals and at small pubs (space for dancing and fun required!)

The band has played many gigs in Moscow, Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, etc. and has shared the stage with bands such as The Dreadnoughts, Mr.Irish Bastard, or Drunken Fairy Tales.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

The amazingly popular Irish folk-punk-rock geniuses, Firkin band, and world's most famous Irish beer founder, Arthur Guinness, celebrate their birthdays at the same time of the year. There can't be any better occasion to make a huge party at the biggest club in Budapest, Barba Negra Music Club. On 27th September, one can be amuzed by the versatile beauty of the traditional and modern Irish music & dance, provided by the guest productions.

As the main performance of the feast, Firkin presents a brilliant full-night concert-show, where eyes'n'ears'n'legs shall not find their rest, only Guinness helps aviod dehydration in the heated atmosphere.

LochNesz are starting to get some recognition in Hungary: they had the opportunity to play at some major festivals during the summer. They managed to make four concert videos recorded at one of them with pretty good video and audio quality. Two of these clips are previously unreleased original songs, one is form their debut EP (The Monster's Close), and another one is a cover of a Dropkick Murphys song (which is a cover of a folk song itself).

Lyrics:Listen up me mateysI ain't be jokin'Hell is here for we are out ofSomethin' that is goldenRaidin' ships 'n ridin' stormsKnowin' no safe harbourLife was never easy, but itJust got a lot harderDon't need two eyes one is fineHalf me legs are made of pineLost me ship 'n lost me crew 'nLost me only rifle too[chorus]But why is the rum gone?Why is the rum gone?Why is the rum gone?Bloody hellWhy is the rum gone?Why is the rum gone?Why is the rum gone?We really need that rumOf all the lads on all the shipsMe hearties be the finestLong as we got rum aboardWe work in storm and tempestWe don't fear no enemyAnd we don't fear no monstersBut never sail out without drinkingOne bottle o' rum firstDon't need two eyes one is fineHalf me legs are made of pineLost me ship 'n lost me crew 'nLost me only rifle too[chorus]Yeah what to do now, mateysIf there's not even one cup?I have seen some trouble, man, butThis is really fucked upHang me up or shoot me downAnd let the rats take overFor even hell can't be much worse thanBeing out here soberDon't need two eyes one is fineHalf me legs are made of pineLost me ship 'n lost me crew 'nLost me only rifle too[chorus] x2Loch Nesz - Never Say Goodbye - Live at Rockmaraton 2012 (New song)Lyrics:The show is over, the pub is closing,The guests are going home,Fully drunk and their wives are angry, soThey will sleep alone.We're stealin a bottle of rumWhile leaving the house,Even the Moon is drunk, and starting toVomit behind the clouds.ChorusWe drank enough whiskey and we had enough sex, andWe almost deserve to dieBut before that day, we will kick the Reaper's ass, 'causeWe will be the ones, who never say goodbye-a-a-aaa,We will be the ones, who never say goodbye.We're singing loud and everythingjust seems to be okay,But after walking a mile or twoHome's still far away.We're giving up walking and startto hitchhike on the road,The rum ran out and we don't feelThat the weather's goddamn cold.ChorusIn a morning of 2012The police found some guysFrozen to death but in every face there wereCreepy, cheeky smiles.Chorus